Many companies and other organizations operate computer networks that interconnect numerous computing systems to support their operations and the services they provide to their end customers distributed worldwide. For example, data centers housing significant numbers of interconnected computing systems have become commonplace, such as private data centers that are operated by and on behalf of a single organization, and public data centers that are operated by entities as businesses to provide computing resources to customers.
In systems, such as computer networks, many electrical connectors are used to connect electrical devices to a power system and to connect electrical devices within a power system. In many systems multiple electrical connectors may connect to a common distribution panel, such as a rack power distribution panel.
From time-to-time it may be necessary for a technician to disconnect an electrical connector for a particular electrical device from a power source, for example to repair or relocate the electrical device. In some circumstances, a technician may inadvertently disconnect an electrical device other than an electrical device the technician intended to disconnect. For example, where multiple electrical devices are connected to a common power distribution panel, a technician may inadvertently disconnect an electrical device connected to the power distribution panel by disconnecting an electrical connector other than an electrical connector of an intended device that is to be disconnected. In such circumstances, power may be unexpectedly lost to electrical systems, such as computing devices, that receive power via the inadvertently disconnected electrical connector. Such unexpected losses of power may disrupt operations of a facility, such as a data center. Also, in some circumstances even short term disruptions in power may trigger one or more computer systems to re-start thus extending a duration of an interruption event due to inadvertently disconnecting power to one or more electrical devices.
Also, in some facilities power distributed to electrical devices may be temporarily interrupted for various other reasons. For example, a power system may be switched from a primary power source to a reserve power source, electrical power consumption of electrical devices connected to a power system may momentarily exceed a capacity of the power system to distribute power, maintenance being performed on an upstream component of a power system may cause a temporary power disruption, or other such events may cause power distributed to electrical devices connected to a power system to be temporarily interrupted. In such circumstances disruptions in power may trigger electrical devices, such as one or more computer systems, to re-start thus extending a duration of an interruption event.
While embodiments are described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.